Reading Recommendations

two books about art

I am aware that many of you have found my bookish newsletter through various artists you follow online, thank you artists for sharing my Substack! I started my painting journey during the pandemic when I began taking online classes with incredible instructors such as

Charlotte Hamilton

and

Missy Dunaway

who are not only incredible artists and teachers, but they’ve also become friends.

So, I’m always on the lookout for books that explore topics related to art and this summer, I read two interesting ones I wanted to pass along!

The first is Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over by Nell Irvin Painter

This title cracks me up. I often fantasize about going back to school…. to get an advanced degree in library science or a MFA in visual art. I’ve already overdone it with two advanced degrees -  a MFA in creative writing and a MA in English and I’ve found that with the proliferation of online education, Youtube, books -  I really can learn so much on my own. Plus, my plate right now is full to the brim, but a girl can dream.

Anyhow, in Old in Art School Nell Irvin Painter goes to art school in New Jersey at the age of 64, which is incredible! She talks about her experience as an older Black woman amidst lots of young, white students. Painter is an accomplished historian and published author and she really takes you through her experience, for better or worse, detailing what art school was like: the critiques, the ways in which she grows as an artist, the ways in which the establishment inherently leaves groups of people and their art out of the discussion.

I listened to Painter read this one on audiobook and it felt like I was in a room with her telling me all these stories about her lived experiences in art school. It reminded me that aging is a gift and with this gift comes knowledge and there’s always more to learn in this one life we get.

The second is Get The Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See by Bianca Bosker

I checked this book out of my local library and I was initially drawn to it because I have a few friends who are in the art world, either as artists, curators or, in the case of one friend who spent years running one of the largest art shows in the world as an art director. I always love hearing their perspective on things and I’m fascinated by this idea of art as an investment and the question of who or what gives art value? Plus, I’m blown away by how many incredibly talented artists there are who don’t receive the accolades they deserve.

Bosker is a journalist who approaches her subject in a very thorough manner. She stumbles her way into the art world and this book is a deep dive into all things art: galleries, materials, collectors, curators. I particularly enjoyed the dichotomy she paints between artists and collectors – joking that you can always tell who is who by the way they dress, the artists being casual / frumpy and the collectors dressed to the nines.

Bosker covers so much artistic territory from cave paintings to Internet art and everything in between. Not only is this book wholly informative, but it’s also pretty funny.

So, these are two books about art that I recently read and enjoyed. How about you? Read any books about art or the art world? Share below!

The best way you can support this show is to click on the books above and purchase them through my Bookshop.org affiliate store. A portion of your spending goes to independent bookstores! A win-win-win! (You win, I win, indie bookstores win!)